Covid 19 | SabrangIndia

Was India equipped enough legally for the Covid-19 outbreak?

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 12:41:36 +0000

Unprecedented events like the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic test the limits of society in all aspects-socially, financially and even psychologically. It is necessary to understand what kind of long term impact such events have on society, in the medium and lomg term.

Many countries did not have a ready-to-cope legislation for the able handling of the pandemic and they used the existing legislations and the powers vested under the existing legislations to handle the pandemic. The pandemic required that some hospitals be taken over by the government, some private properties to be taken over for the purpose of quarantining people etc. This article looks at India’s legislative response to Covid-19 in the wake of the recent spike of the Covid-19 cases in China, again.

Why is there a need for a separate framework when acts like the Disaster Management Act and the Epidemic Diseases Act are already in place? Simply for the reasons that these acts were not enacted with the pandemic in mind, taking into consideration the encompassing behaviour in the legislative mind. Therefore, a separate and specific legislation is needed or a separate framework for laws is needed to address the specific concerns that the pandemic required us to deal with.

Constitutional Provisions

Article 39(a) mentions the responsibility of the State to provide security to citizens by ensuring the Right to adequate means of Livelihood. Article 39(e) mentions the State’s responsibility to ensure that “health and strength of workers, men, and women and the tender age of children are not abused.” Article 41 imposes a duty on the State to “provide public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness, and disablement.” Article 42 makes provision to “protect the health of the infant and mother by maternity benefit.” Article 47 is about “raising the level of nutrition and the standard of living of people and improving public health.

Although the Right to Health is not expressly stated/outlined as a right in the constitution, jurisprudence has evolved which treats that right to health as a part or extension of Article 21.

In Consumer Education and Resource Centre versus Union of India the supreme court had observed as follows[1]:

“The right to health to a worker is an integral facet of meaningful right to life to have not only a meaningful existence but also robust health and vigour without which worker would lead life of misery. Lack of health denudes his livelihood. Compelling economic necessity to work in an industry exposed to health hazards due to indigence to bread-winning to himself and his dependents, should not be at the cost of the health and vigour of the workman. Facilities and opportunities, as enjoined in Article 38, should be provided to protect the health of the workman.”

Legislative Response

In response to the multiple physical attacks on already stressed and overworked frontline health workers during the pandemic, the government amended the Epidemic Diseases Act (EDA), 1897 issuing an ordinance amending section 3 of the EDA. If anyone causes damage or loss to the property, then they may be punished with “imprisonment for a term of 3 months to 5 years and with a fine of Rs. 50,000/- to Rs. 200,000/-.” In case of violence and physical attack on health care workers, offenders can be imprisoned “for a term of 6 months to 7 years and with a fine of Rs. 100,000/- to Rs. 500,000/.” In addition, “the offender shall also be liable to pay compensation to the victim and twice the fair market value for damage of property.”

Although some states like Bihar and Madhya Pradesh have enacted public health law regimed under the EDA, it is not the case with all states within the Indian union However, since EDA in itself is a very limited legislation, it is important to have a comprehensive health policy that would deal with the such controlled outbreaks.

The second legislation in place is the Disaster Management Act, 2005 which was used widely, due to its existing wide administrative and legal machinery to deal with nationwide lockdowns etc. A pandemic does not actually fall under the definition of ‘Disaster’ under the act. Some may argue that pandemic is also a disaster and it is fair to use the Disaster Management Act. However, there is no material gain out of that interpretation. The act does not have sufficient provisions for a health disaster that has various other provisions such as contact tracing, lockdowns, economic benefits to the people, food security for prolonged periods of time etc.

In 2017, under the Modi government’s first term, the Public Health (Prevention, Control, and Management of Epidemics, Bio‐fear based oppression, and Disasters) Bill 2017 was introduced, The 2017 bill clearly defines epidemics, isolation, quarantine, public health emergency, and social distancing. Section 3 of the bill gives powers to state/UT, district, and local authorities, whereas section 4 of the bill defines powers of the Central Government in giving directions. Penalties are also high when compared to other acts and bills. Section 14 (1) of the bill repeals the EDA. This legislation however did not materialise due to objection of many states with the Centre treading on Constitutional Federal principles, particularly with health being a state subject. Given that the NDA government is also in power most of the states today, it is yet to be seen if the government will introduce at least a version of the bill which is more guiding (co-operative)rather than directing of the states.

Some countries like New Zealand did pass Covid-19 specific legislation with everything from testing to vaccination and economic handouts were placed in the legislation.[2] However, this too, was criticised for the way it was rushed through to be enacted. However, an all encompassing legislation is needed for addressing specific emergencies such as the Covid-19 and it is indeed disappointing that India has not even taken a step in that direction let alone enacting a public health law.

[1]1995 SCC (3) 42

[2] COVID-19 Public Health Response Act 2020

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Food, Housing, Health- limitations of post Covid-19 Migrant workers’ related policies

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 05:46:46 +0000

Image Courtesy: economictimes.indiatimes.com

Given the return of Covid-19 in China, and concerns of repeat of the situation we faced in 2020, it becomes important to understand what kind of legislative elements India has to deal with the pandemic related changes.

Migrant Workers are an essential element in the journey of India from an agriculture-dependent country to a manufacturing and service sector dependent country. Whether this transition is sustainable and viable is subject matter of an alternate debate. In a diversely populated country, however, worker migration is a by-product of the mode of development chosen and promoted without necessarily adequate deliberation, since the most impoverished (and often deliberately displaced) sections of the populace moves to “developing regions” to make a living. It is of course a different debate that this development is itself skewed, unsustainable when it comes to environment and climate change –therefore often not holistic – and disproportionately concentrated both geographically and sectorally.

India saw one of the most serious migrant worker crises during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, where migrant workers in different parts of the country were abandoned by government and simply could not find the means to travel to their hometowns and villages. They were forced by an unconcerned and apparently paralysed state machinery to simply walk hundreds, thousands of miles (kilometers) to their homes. Since then, different programmes have been initiated by governments, geared to address the concerns of migrant workers. The results of the implementation of these schemes is yet to be seen but this article provides a brief overview of these recent policies, aimed at protecting migrant workers. The scope of this article is limited to the themes of health, housing and food security for migrant workers.

New Labour Codes

Before going into the schemes as above, it is important to note that the new labour codes passed by the centre does have a major detrimental effect on the rights and livelihoods of migrant workers: this is because the chapter on interstate and migrant workers under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 specifically (almost deviously it would seem) excludes any obligation on establishments that employ less than 10 workers. With 70% of the establishments in the country employing less than 6 people according to the Sixth Economic Census 2013-14, a majority of the establishments have been wilfully excluded from this act thereby snatching away, at the inception whatever protections that are enshrined in the act. In addition to this structural exclusion, the E-shram portal that has been launched by the government aims to record the data of the unorganised workers including migrant workers, construction workers. This measure, the government hopes will give it the required data to make preparations whenever required for the purpose of providing assistance, support and protection to migrant workers.

Food Security

One Nation One Ration Card

In a bid to extend the public distribution system to unorganised workers who are in different cities, the government had launched this scheme, even before the pandemic. This scheme allows workers, particularly migrant beneficiaries, to claim either full or in part food grains from any Fair Price Shop (FPS) in the country through existing ration cards coupled with biometric/Aadhaar authentication in a seamless manner. The system also allows their family members back home, if any, to claim the balance of food grains on the same ration card. The implementation of ONORC was initiated in August 2019.

A prima facie concern about this scheme –publicly expressed– is that the digitisation of the records means that for those who do not have the respective digitisation i.e, Aadhar card or a smartphone, stand excluded. The scheme is therefore, at its inception, exclusionary. A survey also found that the transactions in a different city or a state were being denied 4x (multiple-fold) more than at their registered centres. [1]

A recent study has also found out that not all ration shops are equally attractive (or accessible) to migrant workers. Only 8% of fair price shops conducted 80% of the transactions involving interstate migrants. This skewed reality exists much less for transactions in Delhi.[2]

Health

In the health sector, the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979 necessitates that the contractor who is employing the interstate workmen to provide for the prescribed medical facilities to the workmen, free of charge. It is however a very volatile paradigm to rest the whole health of the inter-state migrant workmen on the contractor.

That is before the controversial Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, the health and working conditions of the workplace i.e., the responsibility to maintain the working conditions and protect the health of the worker, is vested almost or entirely, on the contractor or the principal employer, another relatively volatile assumption or paradigm.[3] Various disparities exist, both health and financial, migrant workers experience financial stress to meet the expenses of the healthcare burden. Although the access to health insurance increases the access to health care and decreases financial stress, the reach of the insurance schemes is very low.[4] A legal regime that places responsibility on one agency or one entity so that healthcare access can be streamlined is unrealistic. The basic responsibility of the State in this crucial sector, is conveniently avoided.

Since migrants go to new places within an alien state, depending on the work they do, the importance of the infrastructure for them is not recognised as well. For example, there have been studies that flagged the lack of infrastructure for defecation and the consequent open air defecation leading to unhygienic living conditions and diseases. [5]

Housing

A survey in Ahmedabad and different construction workers who live on site has found that there are no places for decent living and sanitation, drinking water and other water sources. It was also found that open defecation exists and is prevalent in the sites.

The Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PM-AY) has been promoted as India’s “biggest” housing policy initiative, with a goal to provide 20 million affordable housing both in urban and rural areas. Under the scheme, government-funded housing in the cities have been converted into Affordable Rental Housing Complexes (ARHCs) under the PPP mode through concessionaires. This is also the first scheme where segregation amongst the urban poor and migrant workers (as different classes of population) has been made.

The affordable housing rental complex (AHRC) scheme acknowledges the needs of mobile workers who spend short periods of time in the city and do not seek permanent housing.

Model 1 of the scheme that relies on the retrofitting of vacant public housing, and will, arguably, add a mere 88,236 units of rental supply, nationwide. The demand for affordable and secure rental housing would likely be several lakhs in each metropolitan city in the country. To meet this, the ARHC would need to expand its ambit considerably. The provision of public land and fiscal incentives could entice developers to sign up for Model 2 of the scheme, which is currently totally unattractive for the private sector. Bringing small-scale housing entrepreneurs who are currently supplying informal rental housing into the scheme through tenure regularisation, financing support and technical assistance programmes is another way to expand the reach of ARHC.[6]

Conclusion

The section of migrant workers that is often overlooked by the state government since they do not form the electorate and therefore, the implementation of policies for migrant workers become hard. Therefore, firstly it is important to create coordination between state and central governments with respect to the implementation of any schemes.

An over emphasis on digitisation to enable availing of schemes is especially exclusionary in the current scenario.

[1]Derrek Xavier, Addressing the gaps of the One Nation One Ration Card scheme

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/developing-contemporary-india/addressing-the-gaps-of-the-one-nation-one-ration-card-scheme179075/

[2] Sarthak Agrawal, Archana Agnihotri

Food Security for Interstate Migrants- An Empirical Analysis of the ONORC, Vol. 57, Issue No. 51, 17 Dec, 2022

[3] Section 60, Inter State Migrant Workers, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.

[4]Bhoi S R, Joshi S H, Joshi A (October 31, 2022) Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure Among Migrant Workers in India: A Narrative Review. Cureus 14(10): e30948. doi:10.7759/cureus.30948

[5] Divya Balan, Health and Safety of Interstate Migrant Workers in India during Covid-19: Inadequacy of the Labour Laws

https://grfdt.com/PublicationDetails.aspx?Type=Articles&TabId=10129

[6] Mukta Naik, India’s home rental programme for migrant workers needs more nuance and ambition, https://indiahousingreport.in/outputs/opinion/indias-home-rental-programme-for-migrant-workers-needs-more-nuance-and-ambition/

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Never Ever Forget

Sat, 21 May 2022 09:14:26 +0000

Representational Image

Dear Nation,
hope you remember

Last year,
around the same time

while corpses were
flowing in the rivers

A Modern Nero
was busy feeding the peacocks..
and posing for ads declaring
sab changa si..

Empty lungs of
this great nation
choked by the vikas
gasped
for a little bout free air

A Fuhrer,
who denied the dead
honourable funeral
and
dignity of a number… was
shortlisted for the award of
“Global Life Saver”

Dare you forget,
Oh nation,
any of this, each of this
everything about this ..

Or otherwise tomorrow
the folklore and school texts…

parade the perpetrators as victims ..
promote fear as faith..
discount the murders as suicides
and
celebrate Vinash as Vikas…

*The poet is a Karnataka-based journalist and activist.

Also by Shivasundar:

Modi’s RBI and its myopic monetary measures

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Covid numbers rise again: Don’t panic, wear your masks!

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 13:15:14 +0000

Representation Image

India reported 2,380 Covid-19 cases and 56 deaths in the 24 hours till Thursday morning. According to a report in the Indian Express, India’s effective reproduction number (R-value) for Covid-19 “has increased to over 1 for the first time since mid-January”. R-value is an indicator of how quickly the disease is spreading, and “was 1.07 for April 12-18,” according to Sitabhra Sinha, a researcher from Chennai’s Institute of Mathematical Sciences who has been tracking the country’s R-value since the beginning of the pandemic and was quoted in the story. “It was 0.93 the previous week,” stated the news report.

The national capital Delhi has recorded around 1,009 cases in the last 24 hours, and on Wednesday the Delhi Disaster Management Authority made wearing masks mandatory with a Rs 500 fine for violating the rule. Before that Uttar Pradesh government had made wearing masks mandatory in Lucknow, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Meerut, Bulandshahr, and Baghpat. By Thursday, the Punjab government also made face masks mandatory in crowded places. The Punjab government order stated, “Wearing of masks should be ensured in closed environments like public transport (bus, train, taxi and aircraft), cinema halls, shopping malls and departmental stores, and classrooms, offices and indoor gatherings.” Haryana, Chandigarh are also likely to make masks mandatory again.

According to the IE report even though Covid cases are rising in Delhi, its vaccination coverage remains low at “around 22,500 on an average over the last seven days”. The vaccination numbers in Delhi reportedly fell “went down in mid-February and early March because Delhi reached a saturation point in most categories. Over 90% of the adult population in the capital have been fully-vaccinated”. However after this, the number rose as the vaccinations for children were started.

Looking at the rise in Covid cases in states like Delhi, other states such as Odisha have also asked officials to monitor the situation, and “keep a contingency plan ready to deal with any possible exigency.” According to IE, Public Health Director Dr Niranjan Mishra, asserted that the situation in Odisha is under control and “there is nothing to worry about.”

Reinfections on the rise?

The Pune-based Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) has reported “three episodes of Covid-19 infection in a healthcare professional.” A report published in the Journal of Infection on Tuesday stated that the 38-year-old healthcare professional from New Delhi “had primary SARS-CoV2 infection, breakthrough infection with Delta and reinfection with Omicron over a 16-month period.” The ET too reported that “the rise in cases in Delhi and Haryana has begun to sound alarm bells once again.” Unlike the other major cities such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai or Pune where the number of daily new cases dropped to the lower double-digits, Delhi has continued to report a significantly higher number of cases, over 100 per day on an average, stated the news report.

According to a report in The Economic Times Rajeev Jayadevan, co-chairman of Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) National Covid Task Force, said “it is possible to get reinfected in less than three months but that’s not an indication that vaccines don’t work.” The report also quoted epidemiologist Chandrakant Lahariya, who said, “A previous infection does not alter the risk of future infection. In the Delta wave 70% got infected and then in Omicron again 50 to 60% got infected. Whether past infection or not, every second Indian got an infection in the recent wave.”

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India ranks high in cumulative excess Covid-deaths: Lancet report

Mon, 14 Mar 2022 13:01:13 +0000

Image Courtesy:thehindustangazette.com

India recorded the highest estimated number of cumulative excess Covid-19 deaths beating the USA, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia and Pakistan, reported a Lancet report on March 10, 2022. The paper that looked at deaths due to Covid-19 between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021 also estimated that nearly 18.2 million people died globally as opposed to the official figure of 5.94 million.

With a goal to estimate excess mortality during the pandemic period, the Lancet published a paper wherein researchers searched various government websites, the World Mortality Database compendia, the Human Mortality Database, etc. and identified 74 countries and an additional 266 subnational locations where either weekly or monthly all-cause mortality data were reported for the required period. Further the paper used empirical assessments of excess mortality for 12 states of India.

The study found that the number of excess Covid-related deaths was largest in regions of South Asia, North Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. However, in all this, India estimated the highest cumulative excess deaths at 4.07 million deaths, way ahead of the US, where the estimate stood at 1.13 million deaths. In Russia, estimates stood at 1.07 million deaths, Mexico suffered around 7,98,000 deaths. An estimated 7,92,000 deaths took place in Brazil while the estimated figure for Indonesia was 7,36,000 deaths and for Pakistan it was 6,64,000 deaths.

It may be noted that of these countries, Russia had the highest excess mortality rate at 374.6 deaths per 1,00,000 followed by Mexico (325.1 deaths per 1,00,000), Brazil (186.9 deaths per 1,00,000) and the USA (179.3 deaths per 1,00,000). The global all-age rate of excess mortality due to the Covid-19 pandemic was 120·3 deaths per 1,00,000 of the population. It exceeded 300 deaths per 1,00,000 of the population in 21 countries.

Estimated deaths much higher than reported in India

As per the report, excess mortality rates due to Covid-19 in some Indian states were similar to those of some high-income countries in the northern hemisphere. The report also computed the ratio of excess mortality rate to reported Covid-19 mortality rate to measure the undercounting of the true mortality impact of the pandemic. Accordingly, it found that the national-level ratios in south Asia ranged from 8·33 in India to 36·06 in Bhutan. The most extreme ratios in the region were found in the states and provinces of India and Pakistan, ranging from 0·96 in Goa, India to 49·64 in Balochistan, Pakistan.

Using data from the civil registration system data for 12 states, and the mean reported deaths during the relevant periods in 2018 and 2019, the report obtained excess mortality estimates for select periods during the first and second waves. It also calculated a country-level residual using the residual from the 12 states.

Specifically, the report found that at the national level, India had an estimated 152·5 excess deaths (95 percent UI 138·6–163·3) per 1,00,000 of the population. This number is much higher than the data that was reported during the two Covid-waves. Covid-19 mortality rate was 18·3 deaths per 1,00,000 over the same period.

Further, heterogeneity in excess mortality among the 30 states of India was extremely high. From January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2021, as many as 8 Indian states had excess mortality rates higher than 200 per 1,00,000 population, a level only exceeded by 50 other countries in the world. These states were: Uttarakhand, Manipur, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Karnataka.

Meanwhile, Arunachal Pradesh, Telangana, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Goa had excess mortality rates that were lower than the global average of 120.6 deaths per 1,00,000 population (although 95% UIs overlap). Similarly, sub-national heterogeneity was evident in the excess death counts. Seven states had excess deaths higher than 2,00,000 as of December 31, 2021, namely: West Bengal (2,20,000 deaths), Madhya Pradesh (2,23,000 deaths), Tamil Nadu (2,60,000 deaths), Karnataka (2,84,000 deaths) Bihar (3,23,000 deaths), Uttar Pradesh (5,17,000 deaths) and Maharashtra (6,16,000 deaths).

“Although the excess mortality rates due to the Covid-19 pandemic among Indian states are not the highest in the world, because of India’s large population, the country accounted for 22.3 percent of global excess deaths as of December 31, 2021. Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra had excess deaths higher than South Africa (3,02,000 deaths), with South Africa ranking tenth among all countries,” said the Lancet report.

States with ambiguous mortality data

Earlier, Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and The Wire published data about Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh that showed huge data discrepancies in death-related data during the Covid-19 pandemic. As per the 2019 Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin, the actual crude death rate (CDR) for the state as a whole was to be 6.5 percent. Based on the rural-urban make-up of the surveyed population, the study expected the CDR in the surveyed areas to be around 6.7. However by 2019, the recorded CDR of 6.4 percent in this population was close to state-level expectations. There was not much room for further improvement in reporting to push the numbers up.

But in 2020 the CDR rose to 15-20 percent higher than expected either from 2019 data or from the state-wide CDR estimates from the annual SRS. In fact, the death rate during January-August 2021 was, over double the expectation. Even assuming the SRS significantly underestimated pre-pandemic yearly deaths but improved record-keeping to perfection during the pandemic, the deaths during the pandemic period were greatly above expectations.

The surveyed area had 55-60 percent more deaths during the 20 months from January 2020 to August 2021 than expected during that time. Across UP, this surge would amount to around 14 lakh excess deaths.

As per SRS and civil registration data, the state expects around 15 lakh deaths in a normal year. Further 14 lakh people also account for 0.6 percent of the state’s estimated 2021 population of around 23 cr people. Thus, the study claimed that the pandemic excess death toll amounted to almost a full year’s deaths.

Similarly, the report talked about Gujarat as a state with lower excess mortality rate than the global average. Yet, in May 2021, CJP reported data that estimated great under-reporting during the pandemic. On April 27, of the same year local newspaper Sandesh set aside five pages for obituaries in the Rajkot edition alone, while the state’s Covid-19 dashboard recorded only 14 deaths in the previous 24 hours. On the same day, the newspaper stated that 87 bodies were cremated following Covid protocol over the last two days while the government only recorded two Covid deaths.

This showed that despite Lancet report’s efforts to get official data, even the comparatively better surviving states in India were under great duress. Newspaper obituaries made for better indicators of death count in the area rather than official data, said CJP.

The Lancet report concluded that the full magnitude of COVID-19 was much greater in 2020 and 2021 than was indicated by reported deaths. It still called for further research and increased availability of ‘cause of death’ data for distinguishing the proportion of excess mortality directly caused by Covid-19. However, the study, coupled with previous reports of CJP show that there was great discrepancy especially in areas with a considerable Hindutva influence.

To verify this to certainty, the study stresses for ways to strengthen death reporting systems and mitigate political barriers to accurately track and monitor the continuation of the Covid-19 and future pandemics.

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UNICEF and parents worry about India’s future generations in the aftermath of Covid-19

Thu, 27 Jan 2022 13:00:55 +0000

Image Courtesy:unicef.org

Parents, students and international organisations alike are voicing the pressing need to reopen schools after the two-year long hiatus due to Covid-19. Various reports both at the national and international level have already talked about the damage levied on Indian education due to the abrupt shift to digital education when only some portion of the population has access to electricity let alone technology and internet.

The simmering unrest can now be felt in certain regions of Haryana where parents have started sending children to school despite institutions working at half their strength. According to the Tribune India on January 25, 2022 residents of Dhani Sanchla and Dhani Bhojraj villages sent their children to Government Secondary School, Fatehabad that followed government directions and refused to take physical classes.

Villagers had resolved since Monday to send their children to the village school despite Covid restrictions as per the Disaster Management Act-2005 that were extended until Republic Day. They even submitted a memorandum to the district administration but to no avail. The villages have had to deal with online education despite there being a government school and three private schools.

Similarly, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) parents still await private school admission for their children as per Section 134A of the Haryana School Education Rules. The Tribune reported that parents finally conducted a “class” of students on the campus of the mini secretariat. Tired of waiting for the administration to act, students sat for two hours demanding that their enrollment be completed.

Many schools demanded that the government clear dues before enrolling students in their schools. According to authorities, schools have been issued show-cause notices for not adhering to the government orders. However, such instances indicate that families are growing impatient and the need for classrooms and physical classes is more dire than ever.

Already the ASER 2020 Wave 1 phone survey for rural Haryana showed that the percentage of children not enrolled in schools had risen from 2.3 percent in 2018 to 4.4 percent between 6-16 years. In the report, smartphones were the most popular medium of education during the beginning of the pandemic, effectively cutting off a large group of children from education. Of these, most of the education was imparted through WhatsApp. Due to this, 40.6 percent of children said they could not access learning material because they had no smartphone. 42.2 percent said the school did not send any material, while 11.5 percent and 2.3 percent said they did not have internet or proper connectivity respectively.

GEEAP 2022 report

On Republic Day, the Global Education Evidence Advisory Panel (GEEAP) released the ‘Prioritizing Learning During Covid-19’ report with the latest data on the impact of school closures on children. Globally, it said that a Grade 3 child, who has lost one year of schooling during the pandemic, could lose up to three years’ worth of learning in the long run if urgent action is not taken.

In the case of India, it said that ASER Centre’s 2021 Karnataka report showed decreases in both literacy and numeracy at the primary level, equivalent to one year of schooling.

“India and Pakistan suggests a slowdown in learning progress relative to pre-Covid cohorts. The World Bank, UNESCO, and UNICEF (2021) estimate that school closures of one year map on average to one year of lost learning,” said the report.

Learning losses due to school closures has become one of the biggest global threats to medium- and long-term recovery from Covid-19. According to GEEAP Co-Chair Abhijit Banerjee, the evidence tells us that schools need to reopen and be kept open as far as possible and steps need to be taken in bringing children back into the school system. Banerjee shared the 2019 economics Nobel Prize in part for his work in education and is one of the 15 international education experts, who produced the second annual GEAAP report.

The loss of learning will also result in a severe economic cost. A recent estimation predicts a USD $17 trillion loss in lifetime earnings among today’s generation of schoolchildren if corrective action is not taken.

“While many other sectors have rebounded when lockdowns ease, the damage to children’s education is likely to reduce children’s wellbeing, including mental health, and productivity for decades, making education disruption one of the biggest threats to medium- and long-term recovery from Covid-19 unless governments act swiftly,” said Panel Co-Chair Kwame Akyeampong.

Low- and middle-income countries and socio-economically disadvantaged children suffered the most in this time, said the report.

Recommendations

To address this growing global concern, the report made four recommendations to prevent further loss and recover children’s education. It called upon countries to prioritize the full and constant opening of schools and preschools. Citing the educational, economic, social, and mental health costs of school closures, it said that shutting educational institutions must be treated as a last resort.

The report also called upon countries to prioritize teachers for the Covid-19 vaccination, provide and use masks were assessed as appropriate, and improve ventilation. Accordingly, instructions should be adjusted to support children’s needs and focus on important foundational skills.

“It is critical to assess students’ learning levels as schools reopen. Targeting instruction tailored to a child’s learning level has been shown to be cost-effective at helping students catch up, including grouping children by level all day or part of the day,” said the report.

Lastly, it said that governments must ensure teachers have adequate support to help children. Interventions that provide teachers with carefully structured and simple pedagogy programs cost-effectively increase literacy and numeracy, particularly when combined with accountability, feedback, and monitoring mechanisms.

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Minorities Commission forwards CJP’s complaint against Tejasvi Surya Bengaluru DGP

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 07:53:02 +0000

The National Commission for Minorities (NCM) has forwarded the complaint filed by Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya to the Bengaluru Director General of Police (DGP). Surya and three others had visited a Covid-19 war room for inspection in Bengaluru and made communal remarks against the Muslim community, accusing them of “blocking beds” in hospitals providing Covid-19 care. The NCM forwarded the complaint on December 29 and has asked the DGP to take necessary action in the matter.

In May 2021, CJP had approached the Commission about the incident that took place on May 4, 2021 where Bhartiya Janta Party’s Bengaluru (South) Member of Parliament, Tejasvi Surya listed out sixteen names all belonging to people from the Muslim minority community, linking them with an alleged bed blocking ‘scam’ in the south Municipal Zone. He was accompanied by Chickpet MLA Uday Garudachar, Bommanahalli MLA Satish Reddy and Basavanagudi MLA Ravi Subramanya (who also happens to be Tejasvi Surya’s uncle). During his inspection of the Covid-19 war room in south Bengaluru, he chose to read out only the 16 names (all clearly Muslim-sounding) out of the 214 persons employed at the centre, asking their qualifications. In a video, Ravi Subramanya can be seen and heard asking, “Are you hiring for a corporation or a Madrassa? How can he appoint 16 members like a Haj committee?”

Tejasvi Surya was suggesting that 16 Muslim volunteers of the BBMP’s south zone unit may be responsible for the lack of beds in the city. Like his uncle, even Surya was heard asking if “they (Muslim volunteers) were recruited for a corporation or a madrasa?”

After this incident, a controversy erupted after WhatsApp forwards claimed that BBMP Joint Commissioner for Covid Care Centres and Solid Waste Management, Sarfaraz Khan, was involved in the bed allocation scam.

Sarfaraz Khan said he was extremely ‘pained’ to see a message being shared on social media accusing him of being involved in the alleged scam. The WhatsApp message listed 16 names of Muslim volunteers with the title: “List of terrorists working in BBMP war room killing thousands of Bengalurians.”

After a probe was launched, all volunteers were suspended but were eventually reinstated as the Bengaluru Police found no evidence against them. But five of them are still too traumatised to go back to work.

The complaint

The complaint states that such statements not only instill hatred among other communities towards the minority community, but also demoralise them, creating a fear psychosis among the targeted community. “In the midst of this fierce, raging pandemic that is claiming thousands of lives every day, Indians are collectively working together to help people in need. But some leaders are indulging in unnecessary communalisation of the issue. Choosing to highlight only the Muslim names out of over 200 contractual employees is highly discouraging and demotivating for all those people who are clocking extra hours to help in whatever way they can,” the complaint says.

The complaint sought the following actions from the NCM:

1. Direct the Bengaluru Police to file an FIR against the MP and his fellow MLAs who visited the centre and made such communal remarks

2. Monitor the Police investigation against the MLA and his fellow aide under section 9 of the National Commissions for Minorities Act, 1992

3. Direct Tejasvi Surya, Uday Garudachar, Satish Reddy and Ravi Subramanya to apologise for their deeply hurtful and offensive comments against the minority community

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Amidst new variants, governments demand calm

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 13:50:38 +0000

Image Courtesy:thehindu.com

Recording as many as 5,481 cases in the last 24 hours on January 4, 2022, Delhi government announced a weekend curfew in the city to address the surge in Covid-19 cases.

The weekend lockdown will begin from January 8. Apart from essential services, all government offices will remain closed while employees will work from home. Meanwhile, private offices can call only 50 percent of the workforce to the office. Delhi Metro and DTC buses will run with full capacity but commuters must wear a mask for travel.

Deputy Chief Minister Shri Manish Sisodia on Tuesday said, “Leave houses only in case of emergency or in need of essential services. On the basis of the experiences so far, experts believe that this variant is not fatal and the Delhi government is fully prepared to fight it.”

He appealed to the people to remain calm, wear a mask and follow all Covid-19 protocols. The city recorded an increasing number of Omicron cases recently. As per the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the city reported 382 Omicron cases by Tuesday. Although only 350 people are hospitalized and only 124 patients are on oxygen beds. Seven people were also reported to be on ventilators.

As per government data, 8,511 out of 9,042 hospital beds are vacant. Moreover, 4,223 out of 4,547 beds are available in dedicated Covid-care centres and 139 out of 140 beds are available in dedicated Covid-health centres. Therefore, Sisodia appealed that infected people should opt for hospitals only in case of decreasing oxygen levels.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar aired the possibility of imposing a lockdown in the city if cases keep rising. She said the need for the lockdown will be imminent if the daily cases cross the 20,000-mark. Similarly, persisting crowding is another factor to be considered for the lockdown, she said.

Already schools have been closed for classes 1 to 9 and class 11 until January 31. Mumbai police also issued an order prohibiting people from visiting beaches, open grounds, sea faces, promenades, gardens, parks, or similar public places between 5 PM and 5 AM until January 15 due to a rise in Omicron cases. Marriages whether in enclosed or open spaces can only welcome 50 persons while funerals will only allow 20 persons. Overall, Maharashtra reported the highest number of Omicron cases, 568 cases, by Tuesday.

In light of this number, the Karnataka government is also preparing for an “inescapable” third wave of the virus, reported The Times of India. Before the night curfew ends on January 7, senior officials will meet to discuss more stringent restrictions. Accordingly, sufficient oxygen supply, ICU beds, etc. is another priority for the government. It also mandated a negative RT-PCR report along with a fully vaccinated certificate to enter the state.

At the national level, India recorded over 146.70 cr vaccinations by early Tuesday morning. Nearly 1 cr doses were administered in the last 24 hours. However, out of the total figure, 42.06 lakh of these doses were administered to the 15-18 age group for the first time.

The country’s active caseload was at 1,71,830 cases – less than one percent of total cases – with a recovery rate of 98.13 percent. More than 152.96 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states and union territories with more than 19.69 cr balance and unutilized doses still available with the state and union territories, said the union ministry.

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Covid-19: Omicron poses new challenges, spreads to 77 countries

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 07:10:18 +0000

Image: PTI

The Omicron variant of Covid-19, believed to be one of the most infectious strains of the virus, has now spread to over 70 countries across the world including South Africa, India, UK and other densely populated countries. And though this variant has not proved to be as deadly as its predecessors like the Delta variant, experts are urging people to exercise caution with many countries now asking citizens to get a third booster shot.

Addressing a press conference, Tedros A. Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), said, “77 countries have now reported cases of Omicron, and the reality is the Omicron is probably in most countries, even if it hasn’t been detected yet,” adding, “Omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant.” The WHO is concerned that “people are dismissing Omicron as mild”, because though the impact of the virus on the human body has so far appeared to be milder, the WHO fears “the impact of the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems.”

Omicron is the 15^th letter of the Greek Alphabet. The WHO had started the practice of naming variants using letters, after it emerged that identifying the country of origin led to stigma and discrimination against people of those countries. On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529 (Omicron) a variant of concern, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE).

Given how Omicron is even more infectious, the true extent of its spread will only be revealed in the weeks to come. However, at present, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), India’s total case load stands at 87,562, and as many as 6,982 new cases have been reported in the last 24 hours. This includes cases from all variants present in the country including Delta and Omicron.

After a passenger from South Africa who came to Mumbai via Delhi tested positive on November 24, the state administration swung into action. Institutional quarantine for passengers arriving from South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe was made mandatory in early December. Though now they are required to show proof of testing negative prior to boarding the flight and submit samples for RT-PCR tests on arrival and remain in home quarantine.

According to NDTV, eight new cases of Omicron were recorded in Maharashtra on Tuesday – 7 in Mumbai and one in nearby Virar – all without any travel history. This takes Maharashtra’s tally of Omicron cases to 28. Of these 12 are from Mumbai, 10 from Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune, 2 from within Pune Municipal Corporation limits, and one each from Kalyan Dombivli, Nagpur, Latur and Vasai Virar. Out of these 9 people have been discharged after recovery, but 19 are still active cases.

Meanwhile, in Delhi, 4 more people, all asymptomatic, were recorded to have contracted the Omicron variant. While two of them came from the UK, two others were their close contacts. This takes Delhi’s tally to 6 cases of Omicron. According to Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain, “Out of the six cases of Omicron, one patient has been discharged from the hospital, and the rest are in stable condition. Currently, 35 Covid patients and 3 suspected cases are admitted to the LNJP Hospital.”

In Gujarat, the tally stands at 4 – one 72-year-old NRI from Zimbabwe, his wife and brother-in-law in Jamnagar, as well as a 42-year-old man from Surat who had recently returned from South Africa.

The manner in which the cases are spreading is truly shocking. Vice reported how two guests, both fully vaccinated, lodged in rooms on the same floor of a hotel in Hong Kong contracted Omicron despite never coming into contact with one another. In the UK, Omicron accounts for 4,713 cases. At present it amounts to 20 percent of the Covid-19 cases, and one person is said to have died from this variant. UK is now scrambling to get all adults booster shots by the end of this month.

In India, it appears, even privilege does not protect one against the virus, as none other than actor Kareena Kapoor and her fellow actor and close friend Amrita Arora contracting the disease that they suspect was spread by a guest at a dinner party thrown by filmmaker Karan Johar.

Covid has routinely exposed the gap between the lives of “haves” and “have-nots” in India. Even the initial outbreak of the virus brought into India in early 2020, by tourists or people wealthy enough to undertake international air travel, had a significantly greater impact on people in the lower socio-economic strata. These people who came into contact with their wealthier fellow Indians in course of their work as taxi drivers, domestic helps, security personnel and sundry service staff, then ended up getting infected. Forced to live in close proximity of one another, in tiny tenements that stand cheek-by-jowl in densely populated low-income neighbourhoods, they inevitably ended up passing on the virus to their family, friends and neighbours, thus exacerbating the crisis.

Will the gov’t continue to restrict journalists’ access to Parliament?

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Covid-19: Death toll increases amidst new surge

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 08:04:30 +0000

Image Courtesy:indianexpress.com

As many as 211 Covid deaths were registered by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on December 6, 2021, bringing the total official death toll to 4,73,537 since the beginning of the pandemic. This includes the single-day spike of 2,796 Covid-19 fatalities reported by The Hindu on Sunday.

Concerns about the new coronavirus variant ‘Omicron’ continue to grow across the world. State governments that witnessed huge tragedies during the second wave of the pandemic remain wary of any sudden change in Covid-data.

Therefore, states like Bihar and Kerala reconciled their records over the weekend to report 2,426 deaths and 263 deaths respectively, reported The Hindu. On Monday, the highest fatality was recorded by Kerala with 161 deaths. As per state data, 23 deaths were reported on December 5 in its media bulletin and 138 deaths were declared in an appeal G.O.(Rt) No.2110/2021/H&FWD. On December 4, it reported 315 deaths.

It may be noted that there is a significant difference between Kerala’s death toll and states like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal with the second highest fatality number of 10 deaths.

Meanwhile, as many as 98,416 total active Covid-cases were reported on Monday, with an increase of 739 cases in the past 24 hours. Karnataka recorded 120 more cases, Delhi reported 48 cases, while both Gujarat and Maharashtra recorded 23 more cases. According to the central government the national figure is the lower caseload in 552 days.

Further, the Government of India reported that active cases account for less than one percent of total cases; currently at 0.28 percent which is the lowest data point since March 2020. On the other hand, 127.93 cr vaccine doses have been administered so far, under the nationwide vaccination drive. As per official records, recovery rate is at 98.35 percent with 8,834 recoveries reported in the past 24. It also reported 3,40,69,608 total recoveries.

However, airline guidelines become more stringent as more Omicron cases are reported in India. According to the NDTV, seven Omicron-positive individuals were found in Maharashtra, nine people were found in Jaipur and a man was found Omicron-positive in Delhi on Sunday, bringing the total to 21 variant cases.

The Union Civil Aviation Ministry stated in its guidelines on December 1 that passengers originating or transiting from at-risk countries will undergo post-arrival testing, quarantine if tested negative or stringent isolation protocols if tested positive etc. Airlines will allow only those passengers who have filled in the self-declaration form on the Air Suvidha portal and uploaded the negative RT-PCR test report. Further, passengers are advised to download the Aarogya Setu app on their mobile devices.

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